Mason Receives SACS Reaccreditation

Posted: December 9, 2011 at 9:14 am, Last Updated: December 9, 2011 at 11:17 am

By Claudia Rector,Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs, Office of the Provost

On Dec. 5, at the annual Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges (SACS – COC) conference, Mason received word that its institutional accreditation had been reaffirmed, effective Jan. 1, 2012, with no further reporting required at this time.

The reaffirmation of accreditation will cover a 10-year period, with a smaller report due at the five-year mark. The reaffirmation reflects the high quality of the university and its faculty, staff and students.

Several features distinguished this process from previous decennial reviews:

Students as Scholars, Mason’s plan for supporting a culture of student participation in and celebration of scholarly activities, fulfilled one of the new features of the review, the requirement for a Quality Enhancement Plan. Mason focused a great deal of attention on this component, as it represented an opportunity to use the required review to advance academic rigor in an immediate and tangible way.

The current review process reflects much greater attention on regulatory concerns than in past years, a trend that shows no sign of waning. Mason is in the process of retooling several administrative systems to adapt to this new level of reporting. Such changes will help the university respond more easily to government and accrediting agency reporting requests.

Formal confirmation of the reaffirmation of accreditation is expected in January.